Ocean Blue & Sand — Hotel in Higüey

don't know if I'd come again, but I think for some folks: it's a good choice. I came with a large group for a family wedding (40ish people)

My experience:

Rooms: We arrived at 3pm and our room wasn't ready until after 5:30pm. It was frustrating after travelling all day and being told to come back in one hour.. then another hour... in order to get a room that had been booked well in advance. The person at the front desk wasn't very easy to communicate with. My friend is a fluent Spanish speaker and also found him unhelpful. (Though, everyone else didn't have a problem checking in, so milage can vary! Maybe just bad luck)

Several family members also requested lower floors rooms due to factors like old age or recent surgery- and those were accomodated. However, this was after submitting a request in advance, then being assigned the 3rd floor anyways and having to advocate for themselves day-of at the front desk.

Rooms were good quality. The cleaning staff (and broadly all the staff) was wonderful. We did have issues with our sheets being changed into linen with old makeup stains on it. (Not from us- sheets smelled washed, but had random marks on the side of a pillow and bed sheets.) Our bathroom was really nice, but the shower clogged at first. We fixed ourselves. AC works amazingly well.

Our wrist key cards also stopped working randomly (4 times total) in our one week stay. This was frustrating, as it happened at night, or coming back wet from the pool... and then you'd have to trek to the front desk and reactivate.

Food:

I was happy with the quality and variety of food. My favourite buffet night was the Dominican night. I found it easy to book restaurants (you can book after 7:30am on the app) - but I'm an early riser. It was a bit alarming to me though that things like smoked salmon or yogurt were left out without ice. I just avoided those things.

While the restaurant experience was good for me: people in my group couldn't even get a single reservation in the week we were there, or had trouble opening the app at all. I'll also mention that despite the technical hours of the restaurants being open until 10pm - I noticed both the steakhouse and Japanese restaurant only really took a few folks after 9:00pm, and going to the steakhouse twice myself - I noticed it basically empty at 8:45 pm. So the range of times you can reserve are definitely limited.

if you have some sort of allergy, this might not be the place for you. My cousin is very allergic to shellfish, and we saw other guests using tongs from other plates etc. This isn't the fault of the resort, but rather - something to be mindful of if booking. Several folks in my group got sick, but this could just be them. I was fine. The resort does a good job of making sure you have plenty of water in the mini fridge.

Summary of food: Good variety. Fruit quality (especially mango and passion fruit) was amazing. Try the steakhouse, get coffee at Mikes. If you arrive late and want food: go to the sports bar. I ate so much fruit that week.

General Resort Amenities Good variety, again. Bowling, pool etc - it would be nice if those were open for a wider range of times. It was hard to actually play those, especially as other guests didn't really follow pool etiquette of playing your game, then letting the next group go. Then playing again etc, and parked out a the tables all night despite not really playing actively. C la vie.

beach chairs etc are fine. Even with the seaweed I enjoyed the beach. The blue team does a good job of trying to activate the spaces. I will say the app isn't totally accurate and things like karaoke or dancing didn't happen. We were told the schedule isn't always updated.

The venues, bathrooms and entire space was always very clean

Nighttime music was really fun

Pros: for folks who need accessibility: the cart is very useful. The resort is also not that big, so it's easy to just walk around and everything is laid out very intuitively. easy spot for family vacation, good variety of things to do for...

Myself, my wife and Stepson stayed at the Ocean Blue and Sand Resort for 9 days from June 16-June 25-2025.

I have to say that our stay was one of the best that I/we have ever experienced. I have been to Jamaica/Mexico/Florida/Dominican Republic and Cuba.

From Check in to Check out, this Resort was AMAZING!!

The Food was incredible, It did not matter what we had all the food was delicious. From breakfast to lunch to dinner everything was amazing.

Our favorite A La Cartes were Steakhouse and Sensai (Japanese) we also went to the Italian and Mexican restaurant. But by far steakhouse and Sensai.

Steakhouse, the steak was a good size, food was incredible. Sensai, it is about a half hour wait from the booking time but well worth the wait.

Italian was good, but the appetizers were not so great for us. Mexican was good, but nothing compared to the Steakhouse/Sensai.

Breakfast was generally the same, but it is expected but they had several choices, and we were always more than satisfied. Lunch we generally had by the beach and the food was great.

The eatery by the beach is awesome, you can sit out facing the beach and enjoy the breeze and a beautiful site as well.

The rooms were a good size; clean and air conditioner was on point.

The pool was super clean, we loved the fact that it had a warmer jacuzzi like section and a whirlpool section, as well as the water was up to my shoulders in the pool in the one we mainly spent time and this was great I love being fully submerged, but of course on the other side of the pool it was kid friendly and the level of water was very low, as well by the pool bar.

Bars were all great, alcohol was always available, and the staff overall were friendly and always willing to serve you.

It was a long hotel so expect to do a lot of walking, but there is a trolly that takes you all over the resort, but it is usually about a 10-15 min wait.

There was entertainment day and night this was fabulous, my only complaint was that it was always in Spanish, and I feel like they should speak both Spanish and English, and play English music as well as Spanish, this was the same in the disco.

The check in was quick and easy, as was the check out.

They have an entertainment building with bowling, virtual reality, and pool tables, and of course alcohol. They also have a kid’s section and disco upstairs. Bowling was fun!

The beach party was awesome, and the fire show was absolutely incredible.

There was a beautiful flamingo on site as well.

The nighttime entertainment was fun.

You will always be entertained be it day or night.

They have a casino if that is your thing, they also have a Coffee shop, amazing so many different coffees and lattes, hot chocolate etc. to choose from, as well they have an ice cream shop.

Be mindful of the vendors, they are not overly aggressive, but they do exist and will push you to buy things if you are not interested simply advise them and they will back off. They are on the resort and on the beach.

The beach for us was not the greatest, this has mainly done with the time we went, there was a ton of seaweed. Although the resort did clean it up, this is out of their control, but once the seaweed cleared up the water was beautiful.

We only went on one excursion, it was awesome. We choose one that had the dune buggy, waterfalls, blue lagoon, and the visit to the village. My advice is going with the regular dune buggy, not worth the extra $50 for the faster one because you can only go as fast as the buggy in front of you. But entirely your choice!

Overall, we had an absolute amazing time, and I would definitely recommend this resort. It is kid friendly; there is also a kiddie daycare by the beach. We had an amazing time, ate like Kings and Queens, and would definitely go back!!

P.S. Fly Air Transat you will NOT be...

My family and I stayed at this resort for the 6th time from March 2 to 7, 2025. This resort never fails to keep us from wanting to come back.

Check In - The Front Desk staff are very welcoming, and the whole process was quick and painless.

Rooms - The rooms are spacious, clean, and bright. The regular rooms have a larger shower than the Privilege rooms, but the Privilege rooms have a large jacuzzi tub

Food - There is something for everyone. At the buffet, you can enjoy the typical North American favorites of burgers, fries and pizza, or you can indulge in various seafood, veggie and meat dishes (sushi is sometimes served as well!). There is also rice, pasta, and various types of bread. And did I mention that there is always fresh fruit available such as pineapple, papaya, watermelon, canteloupe, and passion fruit? If you prefer dessert, there are always several varieties of cake, tarts, and ice cream available. There are also a la carte restaurants that you can enjoy in the evenings - some require reservations and some do not. At this resort though, the buffet is so good that there is no need to visit the a la carte restaurants.

Drinks - The numerous bars serve both alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. Just ask, and you'll receive it. The service is fast and friendly. One nice thing sbout this resort is that they do not "water down" their drinks.

Pool - There are several pools at the resort. You can find a lounger available, if you are there before noon. The pools all have swim up/walk up bars.

Beach - The beach is gorgeous and the water is calm. There are always loungers available on the beach but umbrellas are only available in one area. These are a bit difficult to get.

Security - There are Guards everywhere (mostly hidden and out of direct sight), so you always feel safe. Early one morning as my hubby and I were coming back from a walk on the beach, a Guard came out of nowhere and asked to see our bracelets (our shirts were covering them). Instead of annoying us, we were pleased that they are keeping their guests safe.

Activities - There are activities being held all day long. From morning yoga on the beach, to pool aerobics at noon, to nightly bingo - there is something for everyone.

Privilege - We have stayed at this resort as both Privilege and non-Privilege guests. The Privilege option gives you the added bonus of a private a la carte breakfast at the beachfront restaurant, a butler who can make your dinner reservations and take care of minor things for you, and a reserved section by the pool with a dedicated staff member (shout out to Daniel 🙏) who can provide you with towels, drinks, and lunch (if you don't feel like getting these yourself). There are also bali beds available on the beach for Privilege guests. We found that really is no need to choose this option, but it really is a great experience, if you have a few extra dollars. We were treated very well by the hotel staff as both Privilege and non-Privilege guests

Wifi - The wifi signal was strong throughout the resort, with no outages.

Birder's Paradise - This resort is home to a large selection of birds such as a flamingo, various herons, coots, ducks, woodpeckers, etc. Everyday, something new is spotted and/or heard.

Lastly, an added bonus which I have yet to encounter at any other resort in the Caribbean...MIKE'S COFFEEHOUSE!!! Here you can get any hot or cold coffee or tea that you would like. They also have fruit smoothies, as well as a great selection of donuts, cakes, pastries, sandwiches and wraps.

Overall, Ocean Blue and Sand is an amazing resort and I would highly...